Berkeley Schools To Celebrate Almost 50 Years In Stokes State Forest

For nearly 50 years, students in the Berkeley Township school district left the sands of Bayville and traveled north to the forests in Sussex County, to attend an outdoor education program at Stokes State Forest.

Now the district wants to gather as many Stokes alumni as possible for a two-day celebration in Bayville of Berkeley's rich history with the program.

The event will be held on April 22 and April 23, said organizer Kathy Palagonia.

"We'd like to give them the opportunity to take a walk down memory lane and revisit some of the more exciting aspects of Stokes," she said.

The Stokes trip — a three-day, two-night program at Stokes State Forest in Sussex County run by Montclair State University's New Jersey School of Conservation — was part of the curriculum for the district's fifth-graders for over 40 years.

But the program became mired in politics in 2008, during the time Joseph H. Vicari served as acting superintendent.

The trip came under fire during the 2008 budget process. Voters defeated a referendum on the Stokes trip and it was cancelled for the 2008-09 year. The trip was reinstated in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years, after a grassroots campaign by parents, students and some staff members.

A Stokes presentation will be on the evening of April 22, along with a family-style dinner, an animal program and a square dance. On April 23, the event will be held in two places - the Berkeley Township Elementary School and the Berkeley Township Nature Study Building off Western Boulevard.

Saturday's events at the school include archery, action socialization experiences, a nature walk and a wildlife activity. A bird walk, water ecology and a Barnegat Bay program will be held at the Nature Center.

The Berkeley Township Educational and Environmental Program Foundation will debut "Sponsor a Student" to help students for the 2017 Stokes trip. The foundation also started a new scholarship program in honor of Nancy Grove, a former retired Berkeley teacher.

"Nancy was among the first group to attend Stokes," Palagonia said. "Mrs. Groves was always passionate about the Stokes program throughout her career."

For more information and to register, click on the following links.

Stokes 50 Year Celebration Registration

Stokes 50 Year Commemorative T-Shirt
Celebrating 50 Years of Stokes